The present disclosure relates in general to audio systems, and more particularly, to correcting for frequency characteristics of a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) microphone.
Microphones are ubiquitous on many devices used by individuals, including computers, tablets, smart phones, and many other consumer devices. Generally speaking, a microphone is an electroacoustic transducer that produces an electrical signal in response to deflection of a portion (e.g., a membrane or other structure) of a microphone caused by sound incident upon the microphone. To process audio signals generated by a microphone, microphones are often coupled to an audio system.
One type of microphone increasingly used in audio systems is a MEMS microphone. In a MEMS microphone, a diaphragm or membrane having an electrical capacitance may be formed on a semiconductor, such that sound pressure incident upon the capacitive element may be converted into an analog electrical signal indicative of such sound pressure. A MEMS microphone may include an intrinsic highpass filter set by a volume of air in the microphone, analogous to an electrical capacitance, and an acoustic leakage through the microphone membrane, analogous to an electrical resistance. Such intrinsic highpass filter may be characterized by a cutoff frequency f3 db at which an output power of the intrinsic highpass filter is less than half of its pass-band value (also known as a 3-decibel or 3-dB cutoff frequency). For example, a cutoff frequency f3 db of an intrinsic highpass filter may be given by f3 db=f0±Δf where f0 is a nominal cutoff frequency and Δf defines an error range by which an actual cutoff frequency may vary from the nominal cutoff frequency.
Specifications for MEMS microphones to be used in various applications may require smaller error ranges for the cutoff frequency than can be provided by MEMS microphones. For example, a MEMS microphone may have a cutoff frequency f3 db=35 Hz±10 Hz, but systems requirements for an electronic system comprising the MEMS microphone may have a requirement of a target cutoff frequency of ftarget=35 Hz±4.5 Hz. Accordingly, systems and methods for effectively reducing an error range of the cutoff frequency of a MEMS microphone's intrinsic highpass filter may be desirable.
In accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure, certain disadvantages and problems associated with existing audio systems including MEMS microphones may be reduced or eliminated.
In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a system may include a digital correcting network for correcting for an intrinsic highpass filter of a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) microphone such that a combined phase and magnitude response of a cascade of the intrinsic highpass filter and the digital correcting network substantially approximates the response of a target highpass filter.
In accordance with these and other embodiments of the present disclosure, a method may include correcting for an intrinsic highpass filter of a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) microphone with a digital correcting network such that a combined phase and magnitude response of a cascade of the intrinsic highpass filter and the digital correcting network substantially approximates the response of a target highpass filter.
Technical advantages of the present disclosure may be readily apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art from the figures, description and claims included herein. The objects and advantages of the embodiments will be realized and achieved at least by the elements, features, and combinations particularly pointed out in the claims.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are explanatory examples and are not restrictive of the claims set forth in this disclosure.
A more complete understanding of the present embodiments and advantages thereof may be acquired by referring to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers indicate like features, and wherein:
Bias voltage source 102 may comprise any suitable system, device, or apparatus configured to supply microphone transducer 104 with a direct-current bias voltage VBIAS, such that microphone transducer 104 may generate an electrical audio signal. Microphone transducer 104 may comprise any suitable system, device, or apparatus configured to convert sound incident at microphone transducer 104 to an electrical signal, wherein such sound is converted to an electrical analog input signal using a diaphragm or membrane having an electrical capacitance (modeled as variable capacitor 106 in
ADC 110 may receive a pre-amplified analog audio signal output from pre-amplifier 108, and may comprise any suitable system, device, or apparatus configured to convert the pre-amplified analog audio signal received at its input to a digital signal representative of the analog audio signal generated by microphone transducer 104. ADC 110 may itself include one or more components (e.g., delta-sigma modulator, decimator, etc.) for carrying out the functionality of ADC 110. Digital correcting network 111 may receive the digital signal output by ADC 110 and may comprise any suitable system, device, or apparatus configured to correct for an intrinsic highpass filter of microphone transducer 104 such that a combined phase and magnitude response of a cascade of the intrinsic highpass filter and digital correcting network 111 substantially approximates the response of a target highpass filter, as described in greater detail below. Driver 112 may receive the digital signal output by digital correcting network 111 and may comprise any suitable system, device, or apparatus configured to condition such digital signal (e.g., encoding into Audio Engineering Society/European Broadcasting Union (AES/EBU), Sony/Philips Digital Interface Format (S/PDIF), or other suitable audio interface standards), in the process generating a digitized microphone signal for transmission over a bus to digital audio processor 114.
Once converted to the digitized microphone signal, the digitized microphone signal may be transmitted over significantly longer distances without being susceptible to noise as compared to an analog transmission over the same distance. In some embodiments, one or more of bias voltage source 102, pre-amplifier 108, ADC 110, and driver 112 may be disposed in close proximity with microphone transducer 104 to ensure that the length of the analog signal transmission lines are relatively short to minimize the amount of noise that can be picked up on such analog output lines carrying analog signals. For example, in some embodiments, one or more of bias voltage source 102, microphone transducer 104, pre-amplifier 108, ADC 110, and driver 112 may be formed on the same integrated circuit die or substrate.
Digital audio processor 114 may comprise any suitable system, device, or apparatus configured to process the digitized microphone signal for use in a digital audio system. For example, digital audio processor 114 may comprise a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor (DSP), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or any other device configured to interpret and/or execute program instructions and/or process data, such as the digitized microphone signal output by driver 112.
One-time programmable memory 116 may be communicatively coupled to digital correcting network 111 and may comprise any suitable system, device, or apparatus configured to store coefficients for digital correcting network 111 and provide coefficients to digital correcting network 111, as described in greater detail below.
Although
To further illustrate the structure and functionality of digital compensating network 111, assume that a target filter is a resistive-capacitive circuit satisfying:
where ftarget is a target cutoff frequency, and R and C represent an equivalent resistance and capacitance, respectively, for the target filter. With a target cutoff frequency ftarget, and a known sampling frequency Fs of ADC 110, a target filter may be modeled as a first-order Butterworth highpass filter with a normalized cutoff frequency of fB=ftarget/(Fs/2). For purposes of discussion, assuming target cutoff frequency ftarget=35 Hz and sampling frequency Fs=3 MHz, the transfer function of the first-order Butterworth highpass filter may be given as:
Further assuming an error Δf=±10 Hz for the cutoff frequency of the intrinsic highpass filter, the transfer function of the first-order Butterworth highpass filter corresponding to the minimum actual cutoff frequency (e.g., 25 Hz) of the intrinsic highpass filter may be given as:
while the transfer function of the first-order Butterworth highpass filter corresponding to the maximum actual cutoff frequency (e.g., 45 Hz) of the intrinsic highpass filter may be given as:
It is known that if HLP(z) and HHP(z) are transfer functions of a lowpass and a highpass filter, respectively, that satisfy the power complementary condition:
|HLP(ejω)|2+|HHP(ejω)|2=1 [eqn. 5]
then both filters have the same 3-dB cutoff frequency. Substituting Htarget(z) as set forth above for HHP(z) in the above equation and solving for HLP(z) (and assuming target cutoff frequency ftarget=35 Hz and sampling frequency Fs=3 MHz), the transfer function of HLP(z) may be given as:
Therefore, by using an appropriate weighted combination of lowpass and highpass transfer functions, a tunable filter with varying magnitude and phase characteristics can be realized. In such an implementation, however, the lowpass and highpass filters are realized separately. However, such tunable filter may be implemented as a single filter. To illustrate, the lowpass and highpass filters satisfying eqn. 5 above also satisfy the following conditions:
HLP(z)=½(A0(z)+A1(z)) [eqn. 7]
HHP(z)=½(A0(z)−A1(z)) [eqn. 8]
Where A0(z) and A1(z) are stable allpass filters. Allpass filters may be implemented in a structurally lossless manner. In other words, if the coefficients of the allpass filters are quantized, the allpass characteristics of such filters do not change. Also, such filters are known to have extremely low coefficient sensitivity and consequently, a small number of bits may be assigned to represent the coefficients. From eqns. 2, 6, 7, and 8, the following relationships may be observed:
Where d is a constant such that d=−0.099926698858011. Thus, responses HLP(z) and HHP(z) can be realized as:
HLP(z)=½(1+A1(z)) [eqn. 11]
HHP(z)=½(1−A1(z)) [eqn. 12]
Accordingly, the filters with responses HLP(z) and HHP(z) can be implemented using a single allpass filter A1(z) comprising a single multiplier.
By introducing a weighting parameter K, the tunable filter implementing digital correcting network 111 may have the response:
Values of scaling factor K may be obtained using a one-dimensional nonlinear optimization technique by minimizing:
Kmin∫0π|HDCN(ejω)Hint(ejω)−Htarget(ejω)|2dω [eqn. 14]
where Hint(z) is the response of the intrinsic highpass filter of microphone transducer 104 and where:
In a real-life situation, solving for scaling factor K for any characteristic of the intrinsic highpass filter of microphone transducer 104 using nonlinear programming techniques may not be practical. However, analysis of table 400 shows that the relationship between scaling factor K and error amplitude E(ftarget) may be approximated by a quadratic polynomial function. For example, assuming a target cutoff frequency of ftarget=35 Hz and an error amplitude E35 Hz at the target frequency ftarget for the intrinsic highpass filter, scaling factor K may be approximated by:
K(E35 Hz)=1.90935224715264E35 Hz2−2.86589545024937E35 Hz+1.0001841649729 [eqn. 16]
For example,
With the value of constant d fixed to dq, the values of scaling factor K may be obtained in the same manner as described earlier with respect to eqn. 14 except that the value of constant d in eqn. 15 is now the quantized value dq. The variation of scaling factor K with error amplitude E35 Hz may now be approximated by:
K(E35 Hz)=2.41014832270696E35 Hz2−3.27794637545768E35 Hz+1.00020260601088 [eqn. 17]
The resulting value of scaling factor K may be quantized to a number of bits (e.g., 3 bits). The quantized value of scaling factor K, Kq, in conjunction with quantized value dq may be used in eqn. 15, yielding the transfer function:
As a particular example of the entire operation of setting coefficients for the allpass filter of digital correcting network 111, assume that the 3-db cutoff frequency of the intrinsic highpass filter of microphone transducer 104 is 27.875 Hz, and the target 3-db cutoff frequency is 35 Hz. Such cutoff frequency may be determined by, for example, offline testing and characterization of microphone transducer 104. A value of E35 Hz for intrinsic highpass filter of E35 Hz=0.075122939804705 may be obtained. Using eqn. 17, a value of K may be obtained (e.g., K=0.767552359530714), which may be rounded to three bits (e.g. Kq=0.75). Such quantized value Kq may be used in eqn. 18 to realize the allpass filter of digital correcting network 111. The 3-db cutoff frequency of the cascaded intrinsic highpass filter and allpass filter of digital correcting network 111 in this example may be 34.8469861269317 Hz, within specification limits.
This disclosure encompasses all changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications to the example embodiments herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend. Similarly, where appropriate, the appended claims encompass all changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications to the example embodiments herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend. Moreover, reference in the appended claims to an apparatus or system or a component of an apparatus or system being adapted to, arranged to, capable of, configured to, enabled to, operable to, or operative to perform a particular function encompasses that apparatus, system, or component, whether or not it or that particular function is activated, turned on, or unlocked, as long as that apparatus, system, or component is so adapted, arranged, capable, configured, enabled, operable, or operative.
All examples and conditional language recited herein are intended for pedagogical objects to aid the reader in understanding the disclosure and the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art, and are construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations could be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
The present disclosure claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/269,536, filed Dec. 18, 2015, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
6166853 | Sapia | Dec 2000 | A |
9716933 | Oliaei | Jul 2017 | B2 |
20070258597 | Rasmussen et al. | Nov 2007 | A1 |
20130207827 | Nestler | Aug 2013 | A1 |
20150030181 | Kimura | Jan 2015 | A1 |
20150139432 | Barwicz | May 2015 | A1 |
20150226557 | Aaltonen | Aug 2015 | A1 |
20160241961 | Josefsson | Aug 2016 | A1 |
20160287870 | Yip | Oct 2016 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
1198974 | Apr 2002 | EP |
Entry |
---|
International Search Report and Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority, International Application No. PCT/US2016/040472, dated Oct. 5, 2016, 10 pages. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20170180858 A1 | Jun 2017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
62269536 | Dec 2015 | US |